The LodeStar Astronomy Center announces the premiere of a profoundly beautiful full-dome planetarium feature, “The Search for Life: Are We Alone?” This $3 million production was created by the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
The LodeStar planetarium, which houses the largest theater screen in New Mexico, is the only place in the world outside of the Hayden Planetarium where “The Search for Life” can be experienced. The production was customized for LodeStar’s domed theater by the Hayden’s production team.
“LodeStar partnered with New York in a win-win agreement. We supported redesigning the show (three weeks of very long, very late hours in the LodeStar dome) for lease to theaters like ours in exchange for first rights to screen it and a leasing agreement that works with our budget. It was a tremendous amount of work, but the fruits are worth it—we’ve brought the best space show ever made to our community and it’s designed specifically for our theater,” said David Beining, LodeStar director.
Opening weekend at LodeStar is Saturday-Sunday, May 15-16, and “The Search for Life” will play in all planetarium time slots: 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 12 noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. During opening weekend, all planetarium tickets will be half price: $3 adults, $2 seniors, $1 children. Admission includes access to interactive displays in the gallery of exhibits and the StarWorks astronomy store, and on Sunday, the observatory also, for safe telescope viewing of sunspots and solar flares.
“The Search for Life” is a 24-minute exploration of the tantalizing possibility of life beyond Earth. It was written by Ann Druyan and Steven Soter, the co-authors of the groundbreaking PBS series “Cosmos,” and narrated by Academy Award-nominated actor Harrison Ford.
The program reveals that life on Earth can thrive in environments previously thought hostile and inhospitable, that there are innumerable planets outside our solar system, and that the processes that produced the Sun and the Earth are the same processes that continue to generate stars and planets throughout the Milky Way. This provocative new view of our galaxy is transforming human perceptions about what, or who, may be “out there.”
Throughout the program, the audience is wrapped in exhilarating, three-dimensional visuals based on current scientific research and discoveries, as well as actual imaging data from NASA missions. From the depths of the ocean to the depths of the cosmos, the painstakingly rendered environments transport the audience, and the immersive techniques used provide a realistic sense of motion.
Viewers lift off into space on a soaring expedition to search for evidence of life. Journeying through the solar system, they walk on the surface of Mars, float next to Jupiter’s frozen-crusted moon Europa, and head farther out into the Milky Way in search of other planetary systems, all in breathtaking 3-D surround visualization. In a particularly complex, vibrant sequence, viewers enter a cloud of interstellar gas and witness the turbulent birth of our solar system.
The note-perfect score was written by renowned film and television composer Stephen Endelman, and it masterfully complements the program’s contemplative yet uplifting themes. The narration of popular leading man Harrison Ford is the voice of Everyman, taking the audience along on his
journey of discovery and asking the expansive questions that humankind has pondered for centuries: “Are there other worlds like ours?”, “Do any of them have life?”, “Can life exist anywhere?”
LodeStar’s presentation of “The Search for Life: Are We Alone?” is made possible by generous support from Cimarron Health Plan, a long-time benefactor of LodeStar’s mission of astronomy education.
The planetarium pre-show that accompanies “The Search for Life” is “Mars Future Frontiers,” a 22-minute production of the Science Museum of Minnesota that has been enhanced and re-formatted for LodeStar’s domed theater. It covers NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover mission, from pre-launch to
the thrilling, successful landing of both rovers on the surface of Mars.
Shot entirely in high-definition, the program is intercut with gripping NASA simulations of the high-velocity entry into the Martian atmosphere, the mission-critical landing sequence, and the rover’s emergence from the landing capsule. However, this behind-the-scenes story of the mission focuses on the human element-the mission scientists and engineers, their family members, their excitement and pride at launch, their building tension and, ultimately, their jubilation on landing. It is a moving tribute to the space program and the talented people who make space missions possible.
The LodeStar Astronomy Center is a University of New Mexico project in partnership with the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science.
LodeStar is located at 1801 Mountain Road NW, in Old Town Albuquerque, and is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For information or group reservations, call 505-841-5955 or visit www.lodestar.unm.edu.
NOTE TO CALENDAR EDITORS: Beginning on May 17, “The Search for Life: Are We Alone?” will play daily in the LodeStar planetarium at 12 noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m., and 3 p.m., replacing “Infinity Express.” LodeStar’s live star show, “Enchanted Skies,” will play daily at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Ticket prices are $6 adults, $5 seniors, $3 children.
LodeStar Contacts: David Beining, (505) 841-5985
Karen Keese, (505) 841-5972
UNM Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821